Anger sparked online over comments allegedly mocking car crash victims

With the shock of Monday night's deadly car crash in central Seoul still fresh, a photo circulating online with two handwritten notes left at the site in yellow circles has sparked anger. As of Thursday, a photo of two handwritten notes some deemed derisive of the deceased has been posted on social media and various online forums. Nine people were killed and four were injured by a speeding sedan near City Hall in central Seoul, with the cause of the crash still under investigation. "

Social AffairsJuly 4, 2024

Veteran curator named state museum director

A longtime curator with a career spanning close to two decades at the National Museum of Korea has been tapped to lead the state-run museum with the largest collection in the country. Kim Jae-hong was an NMK curator from 1993 to 2012. He left the museum following a five-month directorship at the Chuncheon National Museum -- one of 13 regional museums under the NMK. Since September 2012, the 59-year-old Kim, who has a Ph.D. in Korean history from Seoul National University, has been a Korean histo

Social AffairsJuly 4, 2024

Around 2,500 Koreans receive over 365 outpatient treatments a year: data

Approximately 2,500 Koreans, mostly elderly people, received more than 365 outpatient treatments a year over the past few years, data showed Thursday. The Ministry of Health and Welfare data, obtained by the minor Rebuilding Korea Party Rep. Kim Sun-min, revealed that the number of patients who made more than 365 outpatient visits a year was 2,561 in 2021, 2,488 in 2022 and 2,448 in 2023. In each of these years, more than half of them were aged 70 or older. In 2023, for example, the highest nu

Social AffairsJuly 4, 2024

Man sets fire to casino hotel after losing money

A man in his 50s is being investigated for arson after he set his hotel room on fire at the Kangwon Land Casino report in Gangwon Province, local police said Thursday. The suspect identified as a Chinese national told police that he set the fire because he was angry after losing a lot of money at the casino, according to the Jeongseon Police Station. He is suspected of starting the fire in his 14th-floor room of the hotel at around 2:31 a.m. on Thursday, and fleeing the scene. Hotel sprinklers e

Social AffairsJuly 4, 2024

Kazakhstan willing to share nuclear disarmament expertise with N. Korea

ASTANA, Kazakhstan -- Kazakhstan is willing to share its nuclear disarmament expertise with North Korea, emphasizing its own journey of voluntarily relinquishing nuclear weapons inherited from the Soviet Union and subsequently achieving substantial economic growth, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Roman Vassilenko said Wednesday. "We want to help in whichever way we can, in a modest way, I should say, to help ease these tensions and provide our expertise," Vassilenko said whe

Foreign AffairsJuly 4, 2024

Bullet found in flight attendant's luggage

A round of live ammunition was found inside the carry-on luggage of a Korean Air flight attendant at Incheon Airport earlier this week, leading to an investigation by airport police, officials said Thursday. According to the Incheon International Airport Police Corps, airport officials discovered the 7.62 mm caliber bullet inside a flight attendant's bag during preboarding inspection on 7:30 a.m. en route to Bangkok on Tuesday. Police seized the bullet and had her take the flight as sched

Social AffairsJuly 4, 2024

DP seeks to pass controversial special probe bill on Marine's death at plenary session

The main opposition Democratic Party on Thursday was poised to push for the passage of a bill mandating a special counsel investigation into the military's response to a Marine's death amid fierce protest from the ruling party. The ruling People Power Party has been staging a filibuster since Wednesday afternoon to block the passage of the bill after it was tabled during the National Assembly's plenary session. The special probe bill calls for a special counsel to look into allega

PoliticsJuly 4, 2024

Patients' advocacy groups call on doctors to end walkout

Members of more than 90 patient advocacy groups staged a rally in central Seoul on Thursday, calling for doctors to end the ongoing walkout that has disrupted public health services for nearly five months. The protest, including members from the Korea Alliance of Patients Organization and the Korean Organization for Rare Diseases, came as trainee doctors have left their worksites since late February, causing disruptions in major hospitals, including cancellations and delays in surgeries. "U

Social AffairsJuly 4, 2024

[Graphic News] 9 in 10 S. Koreans agree country is facing climate crisis: survey

A recent online survey conducted by the Korea Meteorological Administration reveals that 90 percent of South Korean nationals agree the country is facing a climate crisis. The survey of 1,706 respondents found that 90.1 percent agree they are experiencing the effects of climate change, with 43.7 percent “strongly agreeing.” When asked which weather phenomena seem the most affected by climate change, 53.8 percent of respondents cited heat waves as their primary concern, followed by

Social AffairsJuly 4, 2024

Assembly debates ways to shield state agencies from North Korean cyberattacks

Cybersecurity compliance should be made mandatory for constitutional institutions like governmental agencies in South Korea, lawmakers and experts said Wednesday. At a National Assembly forum held on the day, ruling People Power Party Rep. Park Choong-kwon said constitutional institutions should be required to observe security practices in light of the recent North Korean cyberattacks against South Korean courts. According to findings by the Korean National Police Agency in May, hackers for Nort

PoliticsJuly 3, 2024

FM Cho voices hope for stronger ties with Luxembourg as embassy opens in S. Korea

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul expressed hope Wednesday that South Korea and Luxembourg will further deepen their relations going forward as the European nation launched its embassy in Seoul, his office said. Cho made the remark during the talks with Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, who doubles as the country's foreign minister, in Seoul, congratulating him on Luxembourg's official opening of its embassy in South Korea, the foreign ministry said. Cho said South Kore

Foreign AffairsJuly 3, 2024

Taxi crashes into hospital in central Seoul, injuring 2

A taxi crashed into a hospital in central Seoul on Wednesday, injuring three pedestrians, police said. The vehicle driven by a man in his 60s plowed into the emergency ward of the National Medical Center in the central district of Jung at 5:15 p.m., leaving three pedestrians injured, one seriously. The other two sustained minor injuries. The taxi also bumped into four other vehicles and damaged parts of the tiled wall of the emergency ward. The driver was almost unscathed and not under the influ

Social AffairsJuly 3, 2024

Top nuclear envoy discusses NK-Russia threats with foreign diplomats in Seoul

South Korea's top nuclear envoy discussed the deepening military cooperation between North Korea and Russia in meetings on Korean Peninsula issues with foreign diplomats in Seoul, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday. Lee Jun-il, director general for Korean Peninsula policy, invited ambassadors and diplomats from 30 countries to two separate roundtable sessions on North Korean issues on Monday and Wednesday, the ministry said. The participating countries either have a diplomatic presence in

North KoreaJuly 3, 2024

Main opposition tables special probe bill into Marine’s death

South Korea’s main opposition Democratic Party of Korea submitted a contentious bill mandating a special counsel investigation into the Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s response to the death of a young Marine last year, to a parliamentary plenary session held Wednesday. National Assembly Speaker and Democratic Party Rep. Woo Won-shik officially introduced the bill drafted by his party at the start of the plenary meeting that began at around 3 p.m. The move came a day after the Democrat

PoliticsJuly 3, 2024

Main opposition floats 10-year mandatory service for junior doctors

South Korea’s main opposition party has proposed a bill that would mandate the establishment of state-run public medical schools, where students would be required to provide 10 years of compulsory medical service upon graduation, lawmakers said Wednesday. The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea's move comes amid the ongoing mass walkout by some 12,000 trainee doctors since late February, in protest of the government's plan to increase the country’s medical school enro

PoliticsJuly 3, 2024

Basketball star's messy dispute with ex-girlfriend continues

A former girlfriend of South Korean basketball star Heo Ung was reported to have hired a lawyer in response to him filing complaints against her, accusing Heo of spreading false rumors. Local daily Sports Kyunghyang on Tuesday reported that the woman has hired attorney Noh Jeon-oen to represent her for what she claimed were false claims about her made by Heo. Contrary to what Heo has said, she contends the 30-year-old star never intended to marry her and forced her into two abortions, as well as

Social AffairsJuly 3, 2024

Dead marine's mother petitions to punish commanders

The mother of late Cpl. Chae Su-geun, who was killed during a search mission in a stream for victims of record downpours last year, submitted a petition to the police calling for the punishment of his commanders. According to the bereaved family of the deceased marine, the mother holds the commanders responsible for her son's death while on duty. She reportedly requested police to investigate why Chae had not been wearing a life vest or other safety gear during the mission, and had been t

Social AffairsJuly 3, 2024

Support for borderline intelligent people introduced

South Korea unveiled measures to tackle the welfare blind spots of people with borderline intellectual functioning on Wednesday, the government's first comprehensive plan to support the group, who are estimated to make up 13.59 percent of the total population. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Lee Ju-ho addressed the importance of identifying people with borderline intellectual abilities at the sixth Social Affairs Ministers' Meeting at Government Complex Seoul. He pointe

Social AffairsJuly 3, 2024

Mobile ID cards to become available for Korean nationals overseas

Mobile identification cards for South Korean nationals with permanent residency overseas were to start being issued Wednesday to help them use domestic administrative services that require personal identification, the Ministry of Interior and Safety said the same day. The ministry hosted a meeting Wednesday regarding the new service with the Presidential Committee on the Digital Platform Government, the Overseas Korean Agency and Korean nationals living overseas to officially launch the mobile

Social AffairsJuly 3, 2024

Driver in fatal crash was speeding from hotel: police

Namdaemun police investigating the deadly car crash that killed nine people on Monday evening said Wednesday that the vehicle began speeding from a hotel entrance after exiting its underground parking lot. In an initial analysis of an event data recorder -- a device installed in vehicles that records technical vehicle and occupant information for a brief period before, during and after a crash -- the police were said to have found that the driver was driving at high speed after leaving a hotel n

Social AffairsJuly 3, 2024